I love television. Over the years, I’ve created a list of shows that are considered, by me, to be some of the best created. This list is, of course, purely opinionated, but I stick by my choices. Have a look at my list and see if you want to check something out to binge.
1. Person of Interest
Take the controversial concept of governmental surveillance and then up it by ten when Person of Interest introduces The Machine, an A.I. created by main character Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) to monitor every person every day. After giving it to the United States government, the Machine sorts through the list of dangerous and in-danger people and puts them into two lists: relevant and irrelevant. The relevant list is given to the government to act upon it, the irrelevant, per Finch’s coding, gets deleted every day. Finch accesses the irrelevant list and utilizes the help of John Reese (Jim Caviezel), an ex-CIA agent, to help or stop the people from the list. The acting is amazing, the storytelling interweaves beautifully throughout the series, and you’ll begin to care so much for the characters as you watch them walk through the streets of New York City.
Season Count: 5
Episode Count: 103
2. Lost
Lost is…hard to explain. The basic concept is an airplane crash lands on a seemingly deserted island. Survivors quickly begin to create a society when they realize that help isn’t coming for them and throughout the series they discover more and more that the island is not deserted, and that there are mysteries everywhere. And yes, if you haven’t watched it but have heard about it, there is time travel involved. Lost is one of my favorite shows of all time, so it holds a special place in my heart. Like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, however, I’d recommend that you don’t get too attached to some characters, if you know what I mean. Each season is captivating (although season 3 is considered dragging at certain points) and you’ll be left scratching your head more times than you care to want to. But it keeps you hooked and wanting more after you finished. I also cry every time I watch the ending, but that’s just me.
Season count: 6
Episode count: 121
3. Sherlock (ongoing)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s world famous character is brought into the 21st century with an amazing show in Sherlock. This BBC series is phenomenal, there’s no other way that I can explain it. It takes the source material of Doyle’s stories and puts a great modern twist on them that, if you know the stories, makes you think you know what’s going to happen, but still leaves you wondering where exactly the story is going to go. Benedict Cumberbatch does an amazing job as Sherlock Holmes and the same can be said for Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. The episode count might not be as high as some fans (including myself) would like it to be, but the movie-like length of each episode more than makes up for it.
Season count: 3
Episode count: 10 (9 episodes, 1 holiday special)
4. Elementary (ongoing)
Like Sherlock, Elementary puts a modern twist on the character of Sherlock Holmes but also places the characters in New York City. What I like most about this show, almost more than I like Sherlock, is the finer details of the character of Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) that Elementary fleshes out. Holmes, in this show, for instance, is a beekeeper, much like the character is in the stories. Holmes’ drug addiction is also a major theme of the show; which Sherlock is only just now addressing fully. The relationship between Holmes and Watson (played by Lucy Liu) is also explored to a greater extent in the show as well.
Season count: 4
Episode count: 96
5. Smallville
Smallville was the first TV show that I fully got into. I watched it every week when it came on in its later seasons. I eventually caught up with the show by the time the final season rolled around and it just felt great to be a part of the show as it neared its finale. Tom Welling really was my Superman before Henry Cavill came in to fill the boots. The show introduces the world of Superman and DC Comics in a more down to earth way as it explores the character of Clark Kent as he grows up in his home town of Smallville. As the show progresses you get to see the introduction of many iconic Superman characters as well as popular DC superheroes and villains. It is a long show, however, so if you do start it, be prepared for the long haul.
Season count: 10
Episode count: 218
6. Arrow (ongoing)
After Smallville, Arrow quickly filled its place in superhero television. Arrow greatly explores the mind of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) as he comes back into the world after spending five years isolated from the rest of the world on and off a mysterious island (not like Lost, though). The show constantly splits its run time between Oliver being a vigilante in his home town of Starling City (later Star City) and when he was on his journey to becoming a vigilante. I will admit that the third and fourth seasons are lacking what the first two seasons had, but ultimately Arrow still remains one of my favorite shows still on the air currently.
Season count: 4
Episode count: 92
7. The Flash (ongoing)
Spinning off of Arrow, The Flash is one of the best sci-fi shows around. While Arrow likes to keep things grounded most of the time in real life, The Flash explores an entirely new area of the universe the two shows share. After being struck by lightning (which is actually shown in Arrow in season 2), Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is able to run at superhuman speeds. He uses it to fight crime as the masked hero, the Flash, alongside scientists from S.T.A.R. Labs who help him fight metahumans and help him to master his powers. What the show really does a good job of is keeping a mystery about it with its main story. Mainly the mystery revolves around who the main villain is of the season and what their plans are. In both seasons, it has been incredible to see the mystery play out.
Season count: 2
Episode count: 46
8. Daredevil (ongoing)
Taking a step away from DC Comics, Daredevil is a show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Constantly throughout the show there are allusions to the Avengers, Iron Man, and even Thor. Set in Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil serves to show how the MCU isn’t just about people with amazing powers and technology. In fact, for most of the first season, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) doesn’t even go by the name Daredevil and doesn’t even have his comic book-counterpart’s red suit. What it does show is that Marvel knows how to make a good, gritty, and captivating television show that can appeal to a more adult audience.
Season count: 2
Episode count: 26
9. Friends
I of course have to put Friends on here. If you somehow are not acquainted with the show, Friends follows the lives of six friends living in New York City (I’ve suddenly seen a pattern in the shows I like…). Every episode has great comedy but at least one or two serious scenes that makes you really feel for the characters. The love triangles do make you want to pull your hair out, but that’s just part of the charm of the show, I guess. The show is considered one of the best ever made, so it is definitely worth the binge.
Season count: 10
Episode count: 236
10. How I Met Your Mother
And finally I come to what is considered a Friends for a new generation. How I Met Your Mother takes a new direction in story telling where the main character Ted (Josh Radnor) tells his children twenty (or so) years in the future about how he met their mother, in direct contrast to how you usually see the relationship begin and blossom in most shows. For nine seasons the biggest question on your mind is “Who is the mother?” and it gets even more nerve racking as future Ted constantly pulls jokes as to when he met his wife. The ending is sure to leave you in tears (I broke down at the end credits) and the good news is if you don’t like the ending that the show gives, there is an alternate one that leaves everything just as you would want it to be (very cryptic but I don’t want to leave spoilers).
Season count: 9
Episode count: 208
